Ametsa with Arzak Instruction – High Expectations Were Rewarded!
When it comes to food, if you had to put people into 2 different boxes, one box would be for people who eat to survive, and the second box for people who enjoy food for it’s different flavours and textures. I am definitely a box 2 kind of person, and I enjoy occasionally taking this to a very different level. I am not talking about eating the hottest chilli or some sort of bizarre bug found in the Brazilian rainforest. I am talking Juan Mari & Elena Arzak!
“So who are these people and what do they do?” I hear you cry. Quite simply they transform traditional Basque dishes, using the best local ingredients and cutting-edge techniques. Juan Mari was one of the first chefs to experiment using scientific methods such as distillation, dehydration and freeze-drying. His daughter Elena is formidable in her own right. She studied at an exclusive Swiss Hotel Management School and went on to work at El Bulli with Ferran Adria. In 2012 she was voted best female chef in the world and luckily for London, along with her father, decided to showcase their work at The Halkin Hotel, Belgravia.
We decided to go with their Set Menu as it was our first visit, rather than splashing out on the Tasting Menu. Upon arrival we were greeted with a sparkling Rosé Cava, called La Vida al Camp Rose where it is aged for a minimum of 15 months in cellars in the municipality of Sant Sandurni d’Anoia, not far from Barcelona. It was crisp, with citrus and blackberry notes.
We started with an Amuse-Bouche of warmed Pumpkin Soup.
First course was made up from a selection of Tapas. Iberian Ham on a Bread Pillow, Scallops at Home served with a Black Truffle Sauce and Egg with “Chistorra” and Crumbs.
For my main, I choose Hake with Celery Illusion! The “illusion” was that the celery wasn’t all it seemed to be. It was in fact made from pear, pineapple and celery that proved to be a great accompaniment to the oily hake. To drink with the dish, I choose a White Wine – La Liebre y La Tortuga Albarino 2013 (Rias Baixas) from Galicia in Spain. It has a creaminess that complimented the fish wonderfully.
My girlfriend choose the Beef Fillet with Red Chilli. The fillet was served with a Sea Buckthorn sauce that gave a fantastic,almost sour acidity that worked very well with the rich beef. The chilli was another illusion and was in fact a green chilli with a red jam-like coating. Red Wine was a Hito 2013 (Ribera del Duero) with chocolate and raspberry notes.
Dessert was a Clove Custard, Toasted Milk and Pineapple Ice Cream. The pineapple ice cream softened any medicinal qualities that a clove can sometimes impart. A crisp texture came from the toasted milk, which was made of the skin from boiled milk made into “toast” by introducing it to a direct heat from a pan or grill. I have seen the skin from hot milk used before, but on a savoury fish dish, by the experimental Australian chef Aaron Turner.
If you want to try something different, and like to be surprised… but in a good way, then this is the place for you. Would I visit again – Yes. Would I go for the Tasting Menu next time – Definitely yes!
